For those of you that got one of my Double Yellow Daturas at hart's Swap, here is mine blooming. Just started. It is more beautiful than I thought....
I cannot believe that a plant can grow to 3' tall and bloom by July when I grew it from seed in the Spring. Pretty amazing!
Gita
Here's looking straight down into the bloom.
Here is my double Purple/ White Metel.
I did not have enough of these to share. Maybe next year?
Gita
Beatuiful, Gita! I love Daturas!!
Wow, Gita. Terrific photos.
By the way, I've made your pickle recipe twice now and it's wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing.
Betty
beautiful! mine is not there yet, but I treated them to fresh compost and fert last week and they are happier. and got some rain finally!
The amazing growth rate of many plants is awesome to me. I'm reading the giant pumpkin thread in Veg Gardening.
Absolutely gorgeous...hope I get blooms!!!
Gita, I got some of them, and they are doing great, other than a few leaf holes from those nasty Beatles. I was out inspecting them this morning and I think I see a couple of very small flower buds coming. I'll post pic's when they bloom.
darn them- is it George or Ringo who starts these things? : ^)
Sally, LOL I think it was Ringo I'm sure I saw the flash from all those rings as he flew by.
I seem to be having 'beatles'too- sprayed sevin last night before dark.
Ric sprayed the other week and I do think it helped. I keep a small bucket of soapy water outside near the pool to put all the ones that end up in the pool and the ones I pick out of the deck boxes. I'm thinking of getting one of those bags and putting it out near the edge of the pasture. The bug's won't damage the Leland Cyprus I have there and they can feast on the weeds that grow along the neighbors property. While they are waiting to get trapped.
Sounds like a plan. Oh crap= just remembered the sprinkler I left on....
WOW Gita, These are just beautiful. Here's the first and there are a lot more on my plants. Will these come back next year or do I collect seeds?
Thank you so much.
Nice!datura.I have the sugar and cream datura growing and the bloom is starting to split.
Any day now it will bloom.
It's a little more yellow than the first pics show, might be a little washed out from the flash. This bloom got broken during the storm last night I think the color in this pic maybe a little closer to true.
Holly,
WOW!!!! Your yellows are just awesome!!!!! Did you feed yours with anything? What? I am lazy about fertilizing. I hate that about myself. I spend all kinds of time and money in the Spring, and then when the dog days of Summer come, It all goes to the dogs....:o(
They are annuals. You will have to let the big seed pods ripen and pick them in the fall. Wait until they are starting to dry up and are showing signs of splitting, then pick them. Remember!!!! All parts of the Datura are toxic!!!! Wash hands often.
I read somewhere, recently, that sometimes these pods can pop open so fast that they literally "spit" the seeds out. To avoid losing the seeds, put a piece of old nylon stocking around the growing pods and fasten it shut behind the pod. Allow a lot of slack as they grow. This will also keep all kinds of bugs out that make their way inside the pods and eat the seeds--like Earwigs.
I am so happy that yours are doing well. EVERY seed I planted (of this Datura) came up in the Spring. I hope I get a lot of seed pods from my double purple/white ones. Did not last year. I put them out too late and the seed pods never matured.
Here is a picture of the purple/white Metel one.
Gita
That's very pretty Gita. Maybe you'll get enough seeds this year to bring some to next years swap. These are really beautiful flowers, I may be hooked. Thanks for the reminder I'll be careful and make sure that everyone knows not to touch.
Holly,
Isn't it just amazing that something this big can grow from seed started in the Spring and then bloom so beautifully? One of Nature's miracles.
I can tell you that Datura seeds are fairly slow in germinating and that once you plant the seedlings in a 4" pot, DON'T mess with them. Let them grow to about the size I had at the Swap. Then, carefully, remove the entire rootball and plop it into a pre-dug hole. Every disturbance of their root system sets them back a bit.
The toxicity is meant if you EAT them, but they do have a mal odor if you handle the leaves and stems. I always wash my hands afterwards.
Good Job!!!!! You done well with "my" babies!
Gita
Even though this is not a great picture, I took it today of my side bed where all my daturas are. See how big they grew???? Can't see the flowers too well, but they are there.
waaahhh... my yellow daturas are suffering with spider mites. and the heat/drought. There are buds developing. I sprayed with sevin last night. Been meaning to get a bag of mulch around them too. So much else to do right now. I'm just going to rake up some cedar mulch from the nearby bed and use that .
Gita thanks for the seed collecting info
This message was edited Aug 2, 2007 12:37 PM
